AHISA National Chair
Welcome message by Rev Chris Ivey
On behalf of my colleagues in schools across the nation and our staff in the National Office in Canberra, I warmly welcome you to the website of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA).
Our Association represents the Heads of 442 independent schools in Australia. These communities comprise some 430,000 students and 55,000 staff and have the support of hundreds of thousands of Australian parents who choose to send their children to our members’ schools. It is a tremendous vote of support for the high quality of educational leadership demonstrated by our members.
'Our schools are focused on providing safe and happy environments for our young people in which they can grow, explore and learn'
AHISA is a membership organisation that was formed in 1985 from the amalgamation of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls’ Schools of Australia and the Headmasters’ Conference of Independent Schools of Australia. Since that time, as independent schools across Australia have grown, both in numbers and enrolments, so has AHISA. We now have members who lead schools of many faiths and those that are non-denominational; schools that are large and those that are small; schools in Alice Springs and Kirribilli; schools that have recently opened in a response to community desire and need; and schools that are over 100 years old.
What is common about and across all these schools is that they are focused on providing safe and happy environments for our young people in which they can grow, explore and learn.
Our Association is committed to speaking on behalf of autonomous school Principals to governments, parliamentarians and senators, and to government and non-government agencies and organisations. We also represent our members nationally and internationally in various education forums. School education and therefore the quality of its leadership is a matter of national importance, and there is much that we can contribute and advise.
We are also focused on developing the school leaders of the future, as well as supporting all current members in the leadership of Australian independent schools.
Finally, as a members’ association, we are committed to supporting our colleagues through the warmth and generous manner of our collegiality and our respectful relations with each other.